Rumors
by misori
Summary: [Seto x Jou] It began with small insults. But who would have thought that rumors would be the problem? Complete
1. Part One

A/N : Disappointed by the way this thing was poorly written, I've decided to rewrite it! Yayness! Anyways, enjoy! 

Title : Rumors   
Written by : Misori Chan   
Genre : Romance/General   
Rated : PG-13, just because   
Warnings : Shonen ai   
Spoilers : None   
Pairings : SetoxJou   
Disclaimer : I don't own Yugioh. I don't own the song "Duvet", by BoA. 

**Song lyrics**

Duvet is a wonderful song and I really recommend you all to listen to it.   
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Part One : And you know what they say might hurt you

It started with a simple, meaningless insult that eventually led to more insults. And that, of course, led to even _more_ insults that unfortunately, led to some bad results. Jounouchi Katsuya, the 'hero' of this story, is an average teenager with their raging hormones. Too bad for him, it nearly led him to his end many times. His story is one you've heard many times before in your lifetime, probably. 

Life for Jounouchi was hard from the start, and still is. Through the tough times, he somehow made it into high school where he met his first _real_ best friend, Honda Hiroto. Together, they became school bullies. It was wrong of them, they knew, but they had their own problems and didn't want to spend time worrying about others. To them, the world was just… the world, nothing more. 

The first time Jou changed his mind was when he met his second best friend, a short teen named Yuugi Mutou. Of course, the boy didn't really affect him much until they became closer through the year. High school went by and Jou met another person that changed his mind, one known only as Seto Kaiba. Everyone in Japan knew of Seto Kaiba, the genius who took over Kaiba Corp and became its CEO. 

Jou never liked rich people, he felt like they were mocking him, secretly laughing at him behind his back because of his own background. He didn't blame them, he despised them. And so, the day Kaiba came to _his_ school, Jou felt himself slowly fall into the rich boy's web, not knowing what he'd do to himself. Not knowing that he'd sort of, kind of, but not really, regret it later. 

The two became rivals because of their shaky start and would always try to bite each other's heads off. Kaiba fought back with his insults and Jou would try to win the fight by coming up with a smart comeback, something that rarely happened. And today is no different. 

"Out of the way, Kaiba!" hollered the blond, his eyes gleaming with malice. Deep down inside he knows he likes Kaiba. He would just never admit it out loud, especially not to the rich boy. 

"Hello, _Puppy_," the tall teen sneered. 

"Look, Kaiba! I'm not in the mood today so… just leave me alone!" Blue eyes widened as they watched the retreating form of the blond, slowly disappearing down the hallway. 

**And you don't seem to understand   
A shame you seemed an honest man **

The CEO shrugged and returned to his place in line. He really did hate the lunch time. He couldn't comprehend why he was there in the first place. Glaring at the head in front of him, he returned to his original mental state, a bland one. While Kaiba stood in the lunch line, Jou was where he'd usually be during lunch, the classroom. 

"Stupid Kaiba, why was he there anyway," muttered the teen. He plopped onto his seat and glared at some corner in the room. 'Stupid Kaiba… but… it was nice to see him… sort of.' 

"Did you hear? They say Kaiba has a girlfriend!" came a voice from behind the blond. Jou chose to ignore it completely, oblivious to the fact he was subconsciously listening. 

"No way!" another voice shouted out. 

"Yes way!" retorted the first voice. Jounouchi stood up, slamming his hands on his table in the process and exited the room. He bolted out the classroom door into the direction of the boy's restroom, his vision starting to go slightly blurry. Once there, he locked himself in a stall and put the seat down, enabling him to sit down on the toilet without falling in. 

"Okay, so I like Kaiba. That doesn't matter. He's an ass anyway. Stupid Kaiba. It's not an excuse to why I locked myself in a restroom stall!" He banged his head to the side wall and sulked, trying to come up with as many possibilities as to why he even likes Kaiba to begin with. "It's… just a stupid rumor. Kaiba would never like anyone… would he? And what girl is that lucky?" 

Sighing dejectedly, he stood up from the toilet and left the stall, his head lowered. Slowly, he made his way back to the classroom only to find Seto Kaiba the only one there. Luckily, lunch hadn't ended yet and it was a chance for him to have a normal conversation with the CEO, without any insults. Gathering some of the courage he felt at the moment, he inhaled deeply and made his way over to Kaiba. 

**And all the fears you hold so dear   
Will turn to whisper in your ear **

"Er… greetings, Kaiba," said Jou. 

"Oh? Being formal now, Pup?" His smile faulted and the blond's facial expressions turned into a fierce glare. 

"Look, _Kaiba_, my name is Jounouchi Katsuya, not Pup or Puppy! Not Chihuahua or any other dog name you've got inside that demented mind of yours!" With one last huff, the blond stalked out of the room, forgetting that it was lunchtime. 

The rest of the school day went on quite dully. Jou watched everything that went on with a bored expression, his mind never leaving the subject of Kaiba's rumored 'girlfriend'. From afar, Kaiba was watching the blond, curious as to what was bothering him. It was obvious since Jou was usually loud and obnoxious but that day, he was acting awfully quiet. 

"Yeah… I feel sorry for whoever's Kaiba's girlfriend," a voice whispered next to the CEO. Snapping of his daze, he focused his attention on the voices next to him. 

"He still cute, though!" exclaimed another. 

"Shut up! He a cruel, heartless bastard," said the third voice. 

"But he's cute!" countered the second voice. 

**And you know what they say might hurt you   
And you know that it means so much **

'I don't have a girlfriend', thought Kaiba. Turning away from the gossipers, he went back to staring at the back of Jou's head. Feeling a burning sensation on the back of his head, Jounouchi turned around to meet cerulean eyes staring right at him. He blinked feeling a bit awkward and turned away almost instantly. There was something strange about the way Kaiba looked at him… 

Resuming his previous activities, Jou flipped open the textbook and scanned down the page, his thoughts trying their best to concentrate on the book and not Kaiba's weird stare. 

**I am falling   
I am fading **

During the last period, Yuugi noticed how distant his best friend was acting and wanted to do something about it. Getting up from his seat, he sat down to the one next to the blond. "Jou, what's wrong?" he inquired innocently. 

"Huh? Oh… nothing's wrong, Yug." The short boy frowned in response. 

"Is it about Kaiba's girlfriend?" 

"W-what!? No!" Jou blanched. He didn't know if Yuugi discovered his secret infatuation for the brunet. Calming himself down, he put on his trademark grin ruffled the boy's tri colored hair. "Look, Yug. Don't worry about me! Besides, why would I care about Kaiba's personal life?" 

"I don't know, Jou… you seem--" Laughing out loud, the blond shook his head. 

"No. Really, I'm fine! Don't worry about it…" he reassured. Yuugi sighed. 

"If you say so…" Getting up, he went back to his own seat, where his dark side was waiting for him impatiently. Tiredly, Jou returned his attention to the board, oblivious to the stare Seto Kaiba was giving him. 

**I have lost it all**   
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A/N : Well, that's the revised version of the first part. What do ya think? Is it good?


	2. Part Two

A/N : And so… I've come to revising the second part. I'm revising the never been posted third part that will be posted. That… was confusing.  
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Part Two : And you know I don't mean to hurt you

A rumor, a mere lie that leads to such drama that cannot be explained. From the beginning, he never thought much about rumors, his life never coming in actual contact with such little things. Jounouchi never took part in the normal things teenagers did. He always tried to be happy, putting on a false smile that enabled people to believe he's an easygoing guy. 

No one knew of his personal pain, the loneliness he felt inside. But for some bizarre reason he could not explain, he felt that the CEO of Kaiba Corp would, did actually. Every time he thought, he'd always question his sanity, making sure he wasn't losing his mind to the games the CEO played. 

Snapping of his daydream, Jou felt a ringing in his ear and realized it was the bell. Jumping out of his seat, he bolted out the door. He didn't want to stay in that classroom any longer, not when Kaiba was still there. A pang raced through his heart, and he ignored, brushing it off as nothing more than his own hunger after missing lunch. 

The feeling ran through him again and Jou frowned in dismay. Walking along the streets, he found himself spacing out, eyes going out of focus. That led to him walking into the last person he wanted to walk into at that moment. "Watch it, pup!" 

The voice sounded very familiar to him and Jou knew immediately who it was. Raising his head, his honey brown eyes met cerulean ones for the second time that day. Mentally, he snorted. Putting on his best and most threatening glare, he shoved Kaiba. "Don't tell me to watch it, bastard! Why don't _you_ watch it? Just because you're a--" 

**And you don't seem the lying kind  
A shame that I can read your mind **

Jou stopped his speech, all senses lost. He felt himself going numb, losing feeling to his legs. It was happening again. That same feeling he felt every time he was around the CEO. He backed away and turned around, running away from the man who haunted his dreams every night. 'It's not fair… why did he have to be the one I bumped into?' 

He never got the chance to run away when an arm pulled him back, preventing him from going any further. "What do you want, Kaiba!? Why won't you just leave me alone!?" 

"What's wrong with you?" the CEO inquired softly. Jou blinked, going tense from the gentleness his rival just emitted. He glared. 

"The hell do you care!? Don't you have anything better to do!?" he hissed. 

"I don't care. It's just… you've been avoiding me lately," Jou blinked, eyes widening from the words that came from _the_ Seto Kaiba. Sighing, he pushed the arm on his off and leaned against a nearby wall. 

**And all the things that I read there  
Candlelit smile that we both share **

"I always avoid you," he remarked. Kaiba involuntarily twitched and threw his hands up in defeat. 

"No… I mean… never mind. I want to take you up on an offer, a truce." Taking a deep breath, Kaiba looked at Jou in the eyes. "Would you like to go to the dance with me this Friday?" 

"The hell!?" Kaiba faulted, backing away from the enraged blond slightly. 

"This is your idea of a truce? Am I supposed to be grateful that you asked me to go with you to a dance!? Well here's my answer, Kaiba! NO!" He hadn't meant a single thing he said but Jou felt angry at Kaiba, making it seem like he didn't care if the blond would say yes or not. He held an impassive expression, one that Jou grew to hate, absolutely detest. 

**And you know I don't mean to hurt you  
But you know that it means so much **

Turning away, he started to walk toward the opposite direction of where Kaiba was standing. He waited for him to call him back, anything. But as fate would have it, Kaiba wouldn't move, wouldn't talk, but just stood there with a stunned look. Huffing, Jou went on with his way, never looking back once. 

**And you don't even feel a thing**

The CEO stood there, eyes directed at the spot the blond stood on just a moment ago. He wanted to make a truce, end their rivalry and enable the two to be friends or… even more. Instead, he made it worse. Sighing in frustration, he punched the wall. 'I'm such an idiot.' 

-

It was night when Jou found himself wandering around Domino Park. He realized he needed some time to think things over, and to get over the fact he rejected Kaiba. Sitting down on a bench, he faced the sky, gazing at the beautiful shiny stars it held within its grasp. If only, he was within Kaiba's grasp. 

**I am falling  
I am fading  
I am drowning **

Shaking away the depressed thoughts, he spaced out, completely unaware that a figure was slowly approaching him. "Puppy?" 

**Help me to breathe **

Jou's honey brown eyes met those of Kaiba's own cold, cerulean eyes. He glared at him and growled. "The hell do you want, Kaiba? And don't call me Puppy!" he yelled. 

Kaiba didn't flinch, showing no emotions, and sat down next to the blond. "I want to rephrase myself…" 

Jou blinked once, not quite comprehending the information handed to him. For the millionth time in his life, Kaiba did not make any sense at all. Finally registering it inside his head that Kaiba was talking about the 'offer', he jumped off the bench and glared down at the tall teen. 

"You think it's only an offer you--" 

"And that's why I'm here to rephrase my question, baka inu!" Jou grimaced. 

"I'm not a dog! Stop calling me a dog! Don't you ever tire of it!?" he asked. 

"No," the tall teen whispered wistfully. 

"Well… you have a girlfriend! It's not right, you going asking me that!" With those words said, the blond turned around, ready to run away from the young man who haunted him day and night. 

**I am hurting  
I have lost it all  
I am losing **

He didn't get a chance to run away, he never did. Two arms found their way around his waist and pulled him back onto the bench, into another's warm embrace. Jou felt his heart beat quicken, blood rushing to cheeks. "W-wha?" 

"Silly puppy. I don't have a girlfriend." Kaiba nuzzled into Jou, earning a squeak from the blond. 

**Help me to breathe**

"Y-you don't?" he asked softly, afraid that he heard wrong. 

"No. Of course not. You think I would?" he retorted. 

"But why me?" inquired the blond. 

"Because you're a challenge and I like challenging things," Jou frowned and turned to glare at Kaiba. 

"I'm not a toy, Kaiba!" he hollered indignantly. 

"Of course you're not." The CEO patted the blond's head and pulled him closer to him. Jou stammered, his cheeks burning more than it usually did. "So… Jou-chan, would you go to the dance with me?"  
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A/N : And that's the revised version of the second part. What do you think?


	3. Part Three

A/N : And here's the never been posted third part! Until now of course… (Hey everyone! I revised Part One and Two. If you'd be really kind, read it over and tell me what ya think. ' You don't have to but I'd appreciate it! Thanks!)  
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Part Three : Help me to breathe

"I have a mask but that does not mean I cannot feel." Slipping into his classroom, Jou's eyes scanned for any sign of Kaiba. He didn't see him in the morning and he usually saw him since the CEO was always early. When seeing no sign of him, Jou slouched onto his seat, his spirit losing its will. 

Jou's eyes wandered over to the two albinos, known as Ryou and Bakura. Battle City passed a year ago and everything was back to normal. Yuugi somehow convinced Yami, with the help of Ryou, that Bakura wasn't really that bad. The dark sides gained their own bodies, including the psycho blond, Marik. 

Ryou was sitting on Bakura's lap, going on and on about Christmas. His yami, Bakura was not really pay attention on what the little hikari was saying. His attention was caught by Ryou's moving mouth, something from within him yelling at him to just kiss those sweet lips. Unable to control himself any longer, he kissed the hikari, shutting the white haired teen up. 

Jounouchi turned away from the two albinos, envious of their relationship. He wanted the same thing with Kaiba but wasn't sure if they'd be able to go through that kind of… intimacy. The blond was pulled out of his thoughts by the voices behind him. It was those same gossipers… 

"Did you hear!? Kaiba invited his girlfriend to the dance with him!" a girl shouted out. 

"That lucky girl…" mumbled another, jealousy obvious in her voice. 

**I am falling  
I am fading  
I have lost it all **

'Kaiba's girlfriend?' Jou wondered if the tall teen meant what he promised him the day before, that he'd be with the blond forever. Perhaps he was lying to the blond, using him to get his 'girlfriend' jealous and want him even more. Jou's lips quivered as the thoughts flowed freely through his mind. Thoughts of insecurity, broken promises, and distrust made him feel a bit dizzy. There was no way that Kaiba would like a boy, especially him. 

**Help me to breathe**

From inside his book bag, Jou pulled out his trusty notebook and began to doodle as he eavesdropped on the conversation held behind him. "But I heard… that Kaiba has a boyfriend too!" 

"That's just… wrong," one of the people stated. 

"I bet you he's playing the boy!" shouted another girl. 

"Yea. No way would Kaiba ever like another boy! That's really _wrong_!" 

**I am hurting  
I have lost it all  
I am losing **

The blond wished that Kaiba would be there to reassure him, tell him they were lying. Feelings of distrust still ran though him. They were rivals after all. They used to try and bite each other's head off, murderous looks being a normal thing between them. He just didn't know who or what to believe… 

**Help me to breathe**

-

Though he didn't trust the CEO, Jounouchi still went to the dance. They promised that they'd meet at eight and enter the dance room together but Jou hadn't seen Kaiba since the day before. It got cold standing outside waiting for Kaiba and he went inside, only to feel himself get more depressed than before. 

All around him were happy couples, dancing away into the night. He saw Yami and Yuugi stop dancing to go and get a drink. He watched Bakura corner his poor hikari and attack the shorter boy with his kisses. The couple that got to him most was Malik and Marik. The two were dancing in harmony, eyes meeting in an almost gentle way. He watched sadly as Marik placed a gentle, but meaningful kiss on his light's forehead. Turning away from the sight, he exited the dance floor through the back door. 

**I am falling  
I am fading  
I have lost it all **

Outside in the dark, Jou plopped down onto the grass. He gazed up at the stars, asking himself how could he have been so stupid. "Seto, where are you?" 

"Right here, Pup." Jou jumped up, shocked that Kaiba was there. 

**Help me to breathe**

"W-when did you get here!?" The CEO snorted and sat down on the grass. He patted the seat next to him, expecting the blond to sit down next to him. He frowned when Jou didn't oblige. 

"I've been here for a while…" Jou snorted, sitting down next to Kaiba. 

"Why… why were you late? Was it because of your _girlfriend_?" he asked weakly. 

"Tch. I told you I don't have a girlfriend," Jou lowered his eyes, avoiding the tall teen's gaze on him. 

"But I--" 

"But you what, _Katsuya_? You don't trust me?" Jou shook his head slowly. 

"I… I can't! How can I!? You're rich and look at me! I'm… nothing. I'm worthless and you're worth a lot… and… a lot of people would love to be with you. But why me? Why did you have to pick me?" Kaiba blinked several times and sighed in frustration. He turned his body and took the blond's face into his hands. 

"Worth is not what this is about…" Jou's eyes widened when he felt the lips of the CEO on his own. Closing his eyes, he allowed himself to fall into the kiss, deepening it. 

'Then what is it about?' 

**I am hurting  
I have lost it all  
I am losing **

The two pulled away, both panting heavily for air. Jou was the first to speak, his eyes showing confusion. "But… the rumors--" 

"Is that what's bothering you? I was late because I was busy at work. Damn employees can't do a single thing…" the CEO muttered crossly. 

"Oh… but… why me?" Kaiba furrowed his eyebrows, crossing his arms. 

"Because… you're different. You're strange… you… intrigue me." Jou snorted and crossed his arms, leaning his back against Kaiba's back. 

"I'm not some sort of riddle you can solve, Kaiba. I'm human," the blond pointed out. 

"And I am too," added Kaiba. 

"You're really willing to let your reputation go awry for me?" asked the blond. 

"Yes," Jou thought it over for a while and smiled. 

"Okay, Seto." Kaiba stood up, making Jou fall over. "HEY!" 

"You… called me Seto," he mumbled to himself. 

"Yea, you called me Katsuya. So… I have a right to call you Seto!" Jou jumped up and glomped Kaiba around the waist. "So… is this it? Are we…" 

"Yes," the CEO numbly nodded, wrapping his arms around the blond. Jou let out a whoop of joy from within his arms and grinned up at the brunet. 

"Good, 'cause you owe me a dance and a big cake for being late," he muttered, snuggling into Kaiba's dress clothes. 

"Puppy?" Jou sighed contently and tightened his grip on the CEO. 

"Yea?" he asked softly, eyes drooping from the tranquil air that was floating around them. 

"Rumors are just rumors." Jou nodded, raising his head to meet Kaiba's. He leaned into him and planted a soft kiss on the brunet's cheek. 

"Don't call me Puppy," the blond muttered. 

**Help me to breathe**  
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A/N : And that's the end to this story. What do you guys think? XD I hope it was worth your reading time. 

Special thanks to the following people : Somnia Lustre (being my first reviewer), Egypts (reading and reviewing most of my fics /huggles/), Amarin Rose, Suki No Hikari (Heyo! She's a cool authoress, read her stuff people!), Draggy2 (Yesh, I've seen Lain. It's my all time favorite anime! Oh, people read this wonderful author's stuff too, okie? For me? .), Macbeth's Mistress, Enzya, joey baby, mangafreak2273, mandapandabug (Oh, it took me long to update because I felt this story was unworthy ' but now I don't), AnimeLuverGurlz (Yea! SetoxJou rocks!), and animeluvr! Thanks! 

I never expected this story to do so well but now that it has, I'm happy! And for all you SetoxJou fans, here's a picture of the two kissing. /hands them out/ Bye! 


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